booebach



(No Model.)

G; W. TUCKER & W; L. ROORBAOH,

BOTTLE STOPPER. No. 367,254.

\ atented July 26, 188.7.

- bottleis being filled. \Fig. 5 is a perspective o UNITED STATES GEORGEW. TUCKER AND WILLIAM PENNSYLVANIA.

L. ROORBAOH, OF PHILADELPHIA,

BOTTLE-STOP PER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Application filed May 9,1887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE W. TUCKER and WILLIAM L. ROORBAOH, bothcitizens of the United States, and residents of Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Bottle-Stoppers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

'lheobject of our invention is to so construct a bottle-stopper forgaseous liquids that while the bottle can be filled when upright and thestopper closed by the pressure of the gases thereon said stopper can bereadily adjusted to and will be self-retaining in such a position as topermit the escape of the liquid from the bottle, a further object beingto permit the forcing of the stopper into the bottle when the latter isto be washed, and the ready returning of the stopper to its formerposition prior to filling, as fully described hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of ourimproved bottle-. stopper. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the bottle withour improved stopper closing the mouth. Fig. 3 is a view showingthe-stopper forced down and retained in this position so as to permitthe pouring of the contents from the bottle. Fig. 4 is a view of thestopper in the position to which it is adjusted when the View of thestopper with part of. the same in a different position from that shownin Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a view showing the mode of forcing the stopper intothe bottle. Fig. 7 is a view showing the mode of introducing the stopperinthe first place; and Figs. 8 to 13, inclusive, are views of modifiedforms of stopper in accordance with our invention.

A is a bottle having a neck, a, and B is the stopper, comprising a flatstem, 11, having near the lower end a sealing-disk, D, and near theupper end a frictional retainer, E. The stem of the stopper we prefer tomake of rubber; but any suitable material which will withstand thestrain to which it is subjected may be used, thesealing-disk andretainer being preferably of ordinary vulcanized rubber. The stem b hasat the lower end a head, b, and in the stem above said head are notchesc for the reception of the sealing disk D,which is larger than the headb of the stopper and alsolarger than the mouth a of the bottle.

Patent No. 367,254, dated July 26, 1887.

Serial No. 237,579. (No model.)

In order toperinit the stopper to enter the bottle in the first place,as shown in Fig. 7, we form notches d in the stem b of the stopper,directly above the disk, the latter when it is turned up, as shown inFig. 7, resting in these notches, so as to prevent the disk from bindingin the. neckof the bottle. The disk D is adapted to seat against theinner portion -of the neck of the bottle, as shown in Fig. 2,

the gases maintaining a coustantpressur'e upon the disk from the insideof the bottle, so as to retain said disk in position for sealing thebottle. The upper portion of the stopper B has notches h in each side,so as to form a central piv0t-pin,f, and an elongated.head,f, beyond thesame. Between this head and the body of the stem we insertaflexibleretaining-plate, E, which is narrow, as shown in Fig. 1, but of suchlength as to rest upon the mouth of the bottle and prevent the stopperfrom dropping into the same when the bottle is empty, as shown in Fig.4.

-When the bottle is to be filled with the liquid, the stopper is in theposition shown in Fig. 7, the sealing-disk D being at some distancebelow its seat, so that any filler of the ordinary construction may beused for filling the bottle. As soon as the bottle is filled, however,the stopper assumes the position shown in Fig. 2, the disk D beingforced up splashing and uneven tlow,which is an obj ection to this classof stoppers as usually made, and it also allows the bottle to be closedwhen onlya portion of the liquid has been removed, the closing beingeffected by the simple lifting of the stopper until its sealing-disk isagain seated.

NVhen it is required to clean the bottle, the

plate E is turned to the position shown inFig. 5'-that is to say, atright angles to the elongated head f'so that when-the stopper is forcedinto llllllllllllltltlllltltltltlhtllt t wi T the bottle the flexibleends of the plate are at liberty to bend at the sides of the head, sothat the stopper can be readily forced into the bottle,as shown in Fig.6; and when the bottle has been washed the stopper can be restored toits former position by means ota hook, at, (shown by dotted lines inFig. 6,) said hook being adapted to catch under the plate E and withdrawthe stopper from the interiorofthe bottle.

Vhen it is required to remove the stopper from the bottle entirely,which is only necessary when a worn-out disk, D, has to be replaced, wecut the disk by any suitable tool, after which the stopper can bereadily removed; or, if desired, the head I) of the stop per may have aring, I), formed on it, as shown in Fig. 13,in which case the disk Dneednot be cut, the stopper being reversed in the bottle and removed by ahook, it, engaging with the ringb'flas shown in the figure mentionedabove.

\Ve have shown the stem 01' the stopper in the form of a flat plate;hutsaid stem can be made of wire in skeleton form, as shown in Fig. 8,or in the form ofa tube, as in Fig. 9, or can be made with wings I)" ateach side, as in Fig. 10, the forms shown in Figs. 9 and 10 tending tokeep the stopper centrally in the neck of the bottle.

In Figs. 11 and 12 we have shown the head 0 f pivoted to the stemportion of the stopper by a pivot-pin, f, the flexible retainer E beingstationary on the stem b. This pivoting of the head f effects the sameresult as the pivoting of the retainer, for when it is desired to dropthe stopper into the bottle the head f is turned on its pivot-pin, asshown in Fig. 11., so as to permit the stopper to be forced into thebottle, as shown in Fig. 12. XVe notch the upper portion of the stem 1)at i i in this case, so that the stopper can be readily pulled out ofthe bottle again to the position shown in Fig. 4.

\Ve claim as our invention- 1. The combination, in a bottle-stopper, ofa stem with a sealing-disk at one end and an oblong flexible retainer atthe opposite end, 1

with an oblong backing for the retainer, one being movable withreference to the other, sub stantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, in a bottle-stopper, of the stem provided at one endwith a scaling disk and at the opposite end with an elongated head andan elongated flexible retainer, free to turn on the stem, allsubstantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a bottle-stopper, of the stem 7), having asealing-disk atone end and notched at the opposite end to form anelongated head,with an elongated flexible retainer fitted to and free toturn on the notched portion of the stem and having a bearing against theelongated head, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE W. TUCKER. XVILLIAM L. ROORBACI-I. \Vitnesses:

JOHN T. Lnwrs, HARRY SMITH.

